


Love, Family, & Other Disasters

by Izzyface



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, F/M, No island, Thea/Felicity Friendship, altered timeline, not an under-age fic, serious!oliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 00:31:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8599924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzyface/pseuds/Izzyface
Summary: Robert Queen sailed off with an intern on the ill-fated Queen's Gambit, which exploded the lives of the whole family. Twenty-one year old Oliver is the one who is left to pick up the pieces and act like the heir-apparent, as his mother is in mourning and is sister is tackling Algebra. Life is hard for him, and complicated, and messy. All of that is before Thea brings a fifteen year old Felicity Smoak into his life who makes him feel... things.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is set about a year before the yacht goes down on the show. Oliver is in a slightly different place in his life, and instead of running away from responsibility, he embraces it. 
> 
> Oliver is 21, Felicity is 15, Thea is 12. 
> 
> This *might* be a one-shot. I don't know yet. I have bits and pieces of other parts written, but this can stand alone.

_Hey, I was doing just fine before I met you_

_I drink too much and that's an issue but I'm okay_

**September 2006**

There wasn’t anything particularly memorable about the first time Oliver Queen met Felicity Smoak. His family was falling apart - his father was dead, his mother had taken to her rooms, and Thea was struggling to keep it together from one day to the next. And Oliver was dealing with the fact that he should’ve been on the yacht with his father. He’d planned to be on the yacht with his father, but instead the older man had taken off nearly a week early with a Queen Consolidated intern without telling anyone. Robert Queen had called from Hawaii on his way to China. A storm had taken down the boat eleven days later, killing everyone on board.

That had been 113 days ago. Since then, Oliver had dropped out of Princeton and moved back to Starling City. He’d enrolled at Starling City University, as it was obvious he needed to grow up and finish his business degree. Someone needed to take charge of their family and at the moment it seemed like Oliver was the only one who could. Thea was twelve and their mother was practically catatonic.

He missed his friends. Tommy had offered to transfer to SCU, but it would have been his third school in three years (the same as Oliver). Before he left for Stanford, he made it clear that Malcolm made it clear if he stayed in Starling then he would stay without the benefit of the Merlyn money. Instead, Oliver had pushed Tommy into the car with Laurel and promised him he’d be fine. They talked occasionally, but Oliver knew that Tommy had a life in Stanford. In addition, he and Laurel had agreed to “take a break” while they were apart. He knew he wasn’t an ideal boyfriend, and his father’s death brought that into sharp focus. It was important that he stop hurting Laurel, and if they stayed together he knew he would only continue to hurt her. 

The death of his father had forced the board of Queen Consolidated to interact with him. Since his mother was…unavailable, the interim CEO chose to keep him up-to-date. Walter Steele was the previous CFO who the board was hoping to put into place at the next board meeting. He’d been a friend of his father, and from what Oliver could understand he seemed to genuinely care about the company. All of Robert’s shares would pass to Moira when he was declared dead (since a body hadn’t been found, everyone was assuming the worst, but nothing would be official until a year after the accident). Since his mother was grieving, it was up to Oliver to take the family seat on the board and consider the best interests of the family when voting. 

All of it was so fucking complicated.

In the midst of all of this, Thea brought Felicity Smoak home. Or Felicity Smoak came home with Thea? He wasn’t really sure how it worked, honestly. It was Thea’s first year at Starling Prep and since Oliver had graduated they’d instituted some kind of ‘peer tutor’ policy. Thea’s peer tutor was Felicity, a scholarship student from Bludhaven. She was a soft-spoken brunette who helped Thea keep up with her homework and seemed to be just a nice person. Other than that, Oliver didn’t have an opinion of her. He was too busy to have an opinion of her. They seemed to appear after school every day and work for an hour or so, then Felicity would disappear. The afternoons when he was home, Oliver noticed that they usually worked at the kitchen island while Raisa cooked dinner.

Thea didn’t talk about Felicity and Oliver never asked. Their paths mainly crossed at breakfast and dinner, and it involved both of them doing work. They rarely talked about their days or lives or their family. Oliver tried to offer her quiet support and to let her know he was there if she needed him. Felicity continued to come and over time he felt that maybe Thea was going to be okay. He heard her laughing sometimes, which didn’t happen in the summer months directly after the accident. The notices he received from her school indicated she was doing well, too.

As fall faded, and winter approached Oliver felt the tightness in his chest ease up some. No, his mother still hadn’t left her room, and he still felt like a fish out of water in terms of the family business, but Thea was okay. If she was going to come out of this okay, then he would manage.

It was almost November when Thea asked if Felicity could stay for dinner after tutoring. Oliver couldn’t think of a reason why not, so he promised he’d clear his schedule on Tuesday evening and ask Raisa to cook something he thought she would like. Thea also asked if Oliver would drive Felicity home after dinner, and he assured his sister he’d make sure his friend would get home.

So on Tuesday afternoon, instead of going to Queen Consolidated like normal, Oliver went straight home when his 3 o’clock class ended. Thea and Felicity were in the kitchen, as usual, reviewing Algebra. Raisa was on the other side of the island chopping vegetables for dinner. “Hey Speedy.”

Both girls stopped and looked up at him. “Ollie!” His sister hopped off the stool and hugged him. “You’re home early!”

“I told you I would be.” Oliver smiled at the brunette studying them. “Do you want to introduce us?”

Thea stepped back. “Ollie, this is Felicity. She and I go to school together.”

He gave her his CEO-in-training smile. “Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.”

“I know who you are, Mr. Queen.” Her cheeks were shaded pink and she wore too big glasses. She was...cute. “I’m Felicity Smoak.”

“Mr. Queen was my father,” he replied. “Call me Oliver.”

“Okay, Mr.—Oliver.”

Thea returned to her stool and her homework, and Oliver went around to say hello to Raisa. She was making grilled chicken salad for dinner, something they all agreed Felicity would like.

“Oh!” Felicity spoke up. “Will someone be able to take me home? I wanted to make sure. And can I borrow a phone so I can call my mother?”

The Queen heir fished his Blackberry from his pocket and slid it towards her. “I’ll get you home, Felicity. Don’t worry.”

She took the phone and smiled at him. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.” Felicity grabbed the phone and stepped into the room off the kitchen.

While she was gone, Oliver smiled at Thea. “It’s going well, yeah?”

Thea returned his smile. “Thanks for doing this, Ollie. I’m pretty sure I’d be failing Algebra without Felicity’s help.”

He wanted to tell her about his D in Algebra, but felt it was best to keep that to himself. It seemed that Felicity was a positive influence on his sister. Thea did not need to follow his example when it came to school. The only reason he graduated was _The Queen Memorial Gymnasium_ his parents donated to Starling Prep. SCU was his third attempt at getting a degree, and his most successful so far. Of course, attending classes seemed to help…

Felicity re-emerged and put his phone in front of him. “Thanks again. Mom has to work late, so everything is good.”

He wanted to know more, to at least make an attempt at getting to know Thea’s friend, but at that moment Raisa announced dinner. They all followed the housekeeper into the dining room where she set up on one end of the long table. “I’ll be in kitchen if you need me.”

“Thank you, Raisa.” Oliver waited for his sister and Felicity to sit and then he took his seat too. “This looks delicious.”

“So, Felicity, Thea tells me you are her peer tutor?” He watched as the brunette served herself and took a long sip of water from her glass. “Other than helping with Algebra, what does that entail?”

She smiled at him. “It’s a requirement of my scholarship, actually. Each year I have to complete a certain number of service hours, and this year I choose to be a peer tutor. Thea is automatically assigned one because she’s a sixth grader.”

“What year are you?”

“A senior.”

“How old are you?” She looked about fourteen, with her hair and glasses. There was no way she was seventeen or eighteen.

“I’m fifteen, but my birthday is in December. I’m graduating two years early.”

“Oh.” Oliver didn’t want her to feel like this was an interrogation, so he turned his attention to Thea. They hadn’t really talked in months. He watched the two girls interact and it made him smile. Thea had a friend. An actual friend, someone she could count on, not someone who would stab her in the back at the first opportunity.

After dinner, Raisa served tiramisu. It was Thea’s favorite dessert. She and her friend returned to the kitchen to finish her Algebra homework, and Oliver started his macroeconomics homework at the table. He could still hear them, and their laughter was his soundtrack. He was lost in GDPs and GNPs (or something) when Felicity entered with her bookbag. Oliver was beyond frustrated with his work, and he was sure it showed on his face. “Hi, Felicity.”

“Is this a bad time? I probably should get home, but if it’s a bad time I can just walk down to the bus stop.”

Was that how she’d been getting home? The bus? Why hadn’t she asked for someone to take her home each afternoon? Raisa could have driven her. One of the security guys could have driven her. Hell, he could have driven her when he was home in the afternoon. This neighborhood didn’t exactly have bus stops on every corner, either. How far was she walking to get to the bus each day?

“No, I got it.” Oliver stood and left his work where it was. He’d have to come back to it later, plus the QC contracts Walter had messengered over earlier. “Let me grab my phone and keys. Do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

Ten minutes later they were pulling on to the main road towards Starling City. He’d put her address into his GPS and it indicated she lived at least forty minutes away. So how long was her bus ride every day? “Why are you coming all the way out here for tutoring?”

Oliver saw her startle in the dark, but she didn’t hesitate to answer. “Thea and I talked about the library in Starling City, but she said you would feel better about her being at home in the afternoons. I didn’t really think about getting home until after I agreed. It wasn’t an issue until it started getting dark earlier.”

“No more bus,” he told her. “We’ll make sure you get home from now on.”

“Mr. Queen—“

“Oliver.”

Felicity sighed. “Oliver, there’s no need for you to go out of your way. I don’t mind taking the bus.”

“I mind,” he told her, “you’re doing us—me—a favor by coming all the way out here for Thea. And you’re...helping her, I think.”

“How so?”

It was his turn to sigh. “You know about my father, of course. Thea doesn’t, we don’t... talk about it. Not to each other, and probably not to anyone else. But she’s...lighter around you, I think. She laughs, and I hadn’t heard that in a long time. I’m glad that she has a friend.”

“And you?”

“Me?” he questioned. “What about me?”

“You went through the same thing as Thea. Who are you lighter around, Oliver? Who do you laugh with? Who is your friend?”

These were not questions he wanted to answer. These were not questions he even wanted to think about. He didn’t have time to be light or to laugh or to have friends. With Tommy and Laurel away, he had no real interest in making friends. His life currently revolved around the business, family, and school. He didn’t have time for anything else.

“So you graduate in the spring?”  

“Yes,” Felicity answered. She wanted to push, but she knew it wasn’t appropriate. The brunette didn’t know this man. She was his sister’s friend, not his. He wasn’t any of her business. “And then I’m off for the east coast.”

“Oh?”

“MIT, in Cambridge. Massachusetts.”

“What are you planning to study?”

“Computer Science and Cyber Security.” Felicity turned to look out the window. They were about halfway to the rental home she shared with her mother. “I was offered a full scholarship over the summer.”

“That’s… remarkable.”

Her cheeks heated up. “Thanks for remarking. So you’re studying business? That’s what it looked like, I think.”

“Yeah. SCU is my third try, too. But I’ve got to get it right this time.”

“Why?”

Oliver shrugged. “Everyone’s depending on me. Thea, the people at QC, Mom… they all expect me to take over and do what my father did. To keep everything afloat. Sometimes it feels like the city is depending on me.”

On impulse, Felicity reached over and squeezed his knee. “You should find someone, Oliver. Someone to talk to...someone to be lighter around.”

When she pulled her hand back, Oliver noticed that his skin burned through his jeans.

Their conversation fell silent and he continued to follow the GPS directions. After fifteen minutes, he finally pulled up to a darkened duplex on a just-as-dark street. “Is this it?”

“Yeah.” Felicity unbuckled her seatbelt. “Thanks, Oliver. I’ll see you around.”

“Wait, is anyone home?”

“No. Mom’s still at work.”

Oliver reached for his seatbelt. “I’ll walk you inside.”

“It’s okay, Oliver. I’ll be fine. I’m home alone all the time.”

Something about that made him uneasy. She was just fifteen… why was she staying home by herself so much? “Can I just walk you to the door? Make sure no one is in there?”

The brunette rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever, Oliver. If it makes you feel better.”

It really would, but he didn’t voice that. They both got out of the car and Felicity led him up the stairs. She dug her keys out and unlocked the door. After she flicked the light on, Oliver wandered into her home. It was very lived in. The living room furniture was obviously old or secondhand, and there was only a kitchen table. He could see a half-bath tucked beneath the stairs. When she started upstairs, he followed her. Oliver ducked his head into the bathroom, and even checked inside the shower. Her mother’s bedroom door was open and Oliver noticed that it was very… bright. Felicity was in the other room and he stopped at her doorway. Her room fit her.

“Seems like everything is good here.”

She smiled up at him. “I told you it would be.”

Oliver gestured behind him. “Will you let me out?”

“Yeah.” Felicity followed him back down the stairs. “Thanks for the ride, Oliver.”

“No problem, Felicity.” He had so many thoughts and he didn’t understand any of them. “Lock the door, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Call the house if you need anything.”

“Oliver-”

“Okay, okay.” He smiled down at her one last time before he left. “Have a good night.”

“Goodnight.”

When Oliver got back to the car, he exhaled loudly. What the fuck was that?

\---

Since that night, Oliver made an extra effort to stay away from Felicity. Whatever it was she made him feel, he didn’t like it. He wasn’t ready for it. If he encountered her at the mansion, he was polite, but he never stuck around long enough to have a conversation. Oliver did notice that Thea continued to improve, and he gave Felicity all the credit. His mother slowly started to come out her room, but still would not leave the house. Most days Moira Queen was not changing out of her pajamas or showering, but Oliver was taking any progress as a positive sign. And he’d started casually dating again - or at least resuming his habit of hooking up with random women. Not at the rate that he had before, because God knows he didn’t have time for that. But occasionally he needed some stress relief that could only be provided by losing himself for a few hours inside of a warm body.

At the end of his first semester at SCU, Oliver was shocked to find that he’d passed all of his classes. For the first time in his collegiate career a place of higher education was allowing him to stick around for a second semester. He officially had enough credits to be considered a junior, which meant he would only take business-related classes from now on. It was something he was ready for, but also not looking forward to. At the end of this semester, he would be able to officially intern for QC and earn credit hours. As the future CEO of the company, his summer would be spent shadowing Walter Steele and other executives in the building with his name on the side. So much for hanging out with Tommy and Laurel and enjoying being twenty-one.

The winter months faded into spring and soon it was May. All he did was work and study. The weekend before Memorial Day, Thea dragged him to Starling Prep to watch Felicity graduate. She was the valedictorian of her class and he listened attentively as she gave a speech quoting Steve Jobs (he’d have to look him up later) and her words resonated. He couldn’t forget her clear voice telling him, _Don’t let the noise of other opinions drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition…_

Why did those words speak to him so much? He hadn’t heard his inner voice in months, since he had enrolled in SCU, but… Or, more accurately, he hadn’t heard his inner voice since that night at Felicity’s house. And have the courage to follow his own heart? What did that even mean? What if he couldn’t? What if he didn’t even have a choice?

After the ceremony, Thea dragged him over to Felicity and her mother. She’d changed her hair, he noticed immediately. Instead of the brunette, it was now lavender. It was pulled back in a smooth ponytail, the oversized glasses on her face. In the sunlight, with the different hair, black graduation gown, and dress, Oliver acknowledged to himself how pretty she was. When comparing her to her mother, he could see that she was going to grow into a beautiful woman.

Donna Smoak was over the top. She wore a tight, bright blue dress and mile-high stilettos. Other than looks, Felicity seemed to have nothing in common with her at all. At least not that he could see. But Oliver put on his CEO-to-be smile and made small talk. Felicity was Thea’s person, and Donna was her mother. Thea, Oliver, and Felicity had agreed to a celebratory lunch, and Donna Smoak was going to accompany them.

Even though he hadn’t shared, Oliver also had something to celebrate. He’d been officially accepted into the intern program at SCU and would be returning in the fall for his third semester. It’d been almost a year since the accident and things were… They were surviving.

 

 


End file.
